Born on 29 June 1775 in Marblehead, Mass., Thomas Boyle went to sea at 10 or 11 years of age and assumed his first command at the age of 16. In 1794, he moved his base of operation to Baltimore. Soon after the War of 1812 began, Boyle took command of the privateer Comet and during his first cruise--conducted in the West Indies between 11 July and 7 October 1812--captured four vessels with an aggregate value of $400,000. On his second cruise, he sailed along the Brazilian coast, departing Baltimore on 25 November 1812. Though he made five captures, his second voyage was a financial disaster because British cruisers retook all five prizes. On 17 March 1813, Boyle slipped past the British blockade into Chesapeake Bay. That blockade prevented any cruising during the summer of 1813, so Boyle accepted a warrant as sailing master in the United States Navy on 16 April 1813. In that role, he helped to protect American commerce on Chesapeake Bay from British depredations. His brief Navy career lasted only until 8 September 1813 when he began to prepare Comet for her third voyage as a privateer. On 29 October 1813, he and his ship sneaked through the blockade in heavy weather. During that cruise to the West Indies, Boyle and his crew captured 20 prizes before returning to the United States at Beaufort, N.C., on 19 March 1814. Boyle left Comet at Beaufort and headed north to Baltimore and thence to New York where he took command of the privateer Chasseur, of which he was part owner. The privateer tried to put to sea on 24 July, but British warships obliged her to wait four days off Staten Island. Once at sea, Boyle set a course for the British Isles via the Grand Banks. The cruise lasted three months, and he netted 18 prizes before returning to New York on 24 October. Boyle spent the next two months preparing for his fifth and final privateering voyage. On 24 December, Chasseur put to sea and shaped a course for the West Indies. There, she took a succession of prizes. On 25 February 1815, she chased what appeared to be a weakly armed coaster but which turned out to be a Royal Navy cruiser. Undaunted, Boyle raced to the attack and, after a sharp 15-minute fight, captured HBM schooner St. Lawrence. He concluded his final cruise at Baltimore on 18 March 1815. Little is known of Boyle's life after the war. Presumably, he returned to mercantile service. The date and location of his death are unknown. Image courtesy of The Troubleshooters.com.

Bill Gonyo

82k

Artist's conception of the Boyle as she appeared in World War II by the renowned graphic illustrator John Barrett with the text written by naval author and historian Robert F. Sumrall. Their company Navy Yard Associates offers prints of most destroyers, destroyer escorts, submarines and aircraft carriers in various configurations during the ship's lifetime. The prints can be customized with ship's patches, your photograph, your bio, etc. If you decide to purchase artwork from them please indicate that you heard about their work from NavSource.

Photo #: 80-G-354884, USS Black Hawk (AD-9) with six destroyers alongside, probably at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in July 1945. The destroyers are (from left to right): USS Hawkins (DD-873); USS Ordronaux (DD-617); USS Boyle (DD-600); USS Champlin (DD-601); USS Swanson (DD-443); and USS Franks (DD-554). Note the personnel boat in the foreground, heading for a landing stage alongside Black Hawk's bow. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

Tony Cowart

122k

USS Black Hawk (AD-9) with six destroyers alongside, probably at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in July 1945. The destroyers are (from left to right): USS Hawkins (DD-873); USS Ordronaux (DD-617); USS Boyle (DD-600); USS Champlin (DD-601); USS Swanson (DD-443); and USS Franks (DD-554). Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

Tony Cowart

75k

At the South Boston Naval Annex in 1958, Boyle is the furthest outboard.

The contact listed, Was the contact at the time for this ship when located. If another person now is the contact, E-mail me and I will update this entry. These contacts are compiled from various sources over a long period of time and may or may not be correct. Every effort has been made to list the newest contact if more than one contact was found.